Kawasaki Concours Forum

The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Deziner on February 16, 2015, 09:23:24 AM

Title: Riding solo
Post by: Deziner on February 16, 2015, 09:23:24 AM
I'm curious as to how many of you ride solo most or all of the time.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Rhino on February 16, 2015, 09:41:08 AM
Extremely rare for me to have someone on the back. 54,000 miles on the C14 and maybe < 100 miles 2 up.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: RBX QB on February 16, 2015, 09:53:51 AM
Solo solo... no passengers, no other bikes. Especially long rides, I prefer to be alone. Go where I want, as fast or slow as I want, change my mind as I want...
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: sailor_chic on February 16, 2015, 09:54:07 AM
On my bike, solo.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: gPink on February 16, 2015, 09:54:40 AM
Do you mean sans passenger or other bikes?
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Deziner on February 16, 2015, 10:07:32 AM
Do you mean sans passenger or other bikes?

Sans passenge.   
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 16, 2015, 10:50:53 AM
99% of the time solo.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Rhino on February 16, 2015, 11:19:16 AM
Solo solo... no passengers, no other bikes. Especially long rides, I prefer to be alone. Go where I want, as fast or slow as I want, change my mind as I want...

+1 I do ride a lot with other bikes but I love a nice trip by myself for the reasons stated by RBX.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: maxtog on February 16, 2015, 12:03:49 PM
I'm curious as to how many of you ride solo most or all of the time.

I ride solo 100% of the time.  I "removed" the passenger seat (Sargent World Pod) and even if I hadn't, I have never ridden two-up, have no idea how to, and could not do so since I can barely reach the ground (short legs) so it would be dangerous and unwise.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Charlie747 on February 16, 2015, 12:23:53 PM
99% of the time solo.

+1
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: 1jeep on February 16, 2015, 01:05:21 PM
last april I bought my connie at the time I also had an 09 HD Ultra that with wife would ride on, June we were out on the HD and she informed me that she was done riding. She gets too nervous and there are too many crazy people on the road...she actually wasn't referring to me at the time.

The HD sat almost all summer, till finally I sold it, I only rode it when she was going as it was "our" bike. Since then she hasn't once sat on the concours and from what I can tell most likely never will. My daughter would ride with me any chance she had, but at 22 years old she has very little time and has been on the connie either.

I didn't have to sell the HD....but lets be honest since connie arrived my interest in riding a road barge disappeared.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: stevewfl on February 16, 2015, 01:28:14 PM
50/50 for me.

And in some cases, friends such as Heather below swap bikes with me.  She rails her CBR1000RR...

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/ashevillesummer10/KY%20Connie%20ride/heatheronherhonda-2.jpg)

But she absolutely flew on my C14 between Marion VA and Tazewell, and has tortured the 421 Snake a few times as well  ;D

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/ashevillesummer10/KY%20Connie%20ride/heather-2.jpg)

The 50/50 part?  Teressa is crazy enough to ride on the back of my bike on the race track....

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/R1%20stuff/roadatlantameandteressa1.jpg)

and on the street  ;D

(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/Connie%2014/GATOR%20JOES/teressa_steve.jpg)
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: petepro on February 16, 2015, 01:53:27 PM
90% solo ( no passenger )
100% ( no other bikes )

Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: elp_jc on February 16, 2015, 01:58:48 PM
Another solo-only rider here. And usually alone too. My perfect 'group' size is TWO ;D, but I don't have a riding buddy at the moment, and they're hard to come by with basically your same riding style, stopping preferences, etc. Therefore, most of the time I ride alone. I like riding alone... BUT always miss company at meal or break times. That is the better compromise for me, if I don't have a very compatible riding buddy.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: sailor_chic on February 16, 2015, 02:24:47 PM
Steve, your track bike looks like a really fun one to ride.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: lather on February 16, 2015, 05:51:11 PM
70% solo 30% two up. Wife and I do two long trips  (2500/4500 miles) and one or two shorter ones (300/900) per year.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: tomp on February 16, 2015, 09:11:49 PM
100% no passenger, who wants to ride with an old fart, and 90+% on my own.  Have had one real/close to my locale, riding buddy for over 30 years now, but since he remarried, his honey do's keep him off his RT.  My other long time riding brothers either live too far away, or have since passed on to the highway in the sky.  One especially will be missed forever.   RIP, MR/ Charles. . .
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: AZ-ZG on February 16, 2015, 10:19:15 PM
All solo now.   ::)

Before my pillion and I split about 65/35.  She was a good moto passenger!   :)

Left my riding buddy behind in AZ when moving to Floridull.
He and his wife could roll some miles on their 'Wing. They are both IBA members.
First SS1K was with him on a Tour of Honor Ride in 2012.  http://tourofhonor.com/ (http://tourofhonor.com/)

We later went to Irvine, CA, from PHX, and back, to meet Melissa Holbrook Pierson for a book signing of "The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing" and also met the subject of her book John Ryan.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: clogan on February 17, 2015, 03:39:04 AM
My wife quit riding with me in 1976; I don't even have a place for a passenger anymore. Smuggler on my C14, and a gear box on my KLR.

Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Ghost Rider 2 on February 17, 2015, 04:49:32 AM
  Mostly solo.  We have made several 2500 to 3000 mile summer trips. Wife rides her own bike. Every once in a while if we running to town for dinner, she hops on back with me. Bike feels a little strange to me with 2 people.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: AlbertaDoug on February 17, 2015, 05:16:38 AM
80% solo and taken my Grandson for 3 rides last year. He's a natural and loves to ride.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Cruise Missile on February 17, 2015, 06:41:44 AM
90% no passenger, My 15yr son has been a great passenger since I installed a Corbin seat and I look forward to more rides with him this season. 60% no other bikes, my oldest son (20) is looking for his next bike and we ride quite a bit together with some local bikers.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: maxtog on February 17, 2015, 06:45:30 AM
I'm curious as to how many of you ride solo most or all of the time.

I added a poll to help summarize the results!
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Deziner on February 17, 2015, 06:50:08 AM
I added a poll to help summarize the results!

Thanks, Max!
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: mvjr1904 on February 17, 2015, 10:18:28 AM
I'm in the <5% bracket. In 3 years and 22,500 miles, the wife and I took 1 ride, so I guess I don't qualify as "never".
I would like to ride with the wife but she's afraid.  She likes to go to the casinos, so I said "I'll take you if we go on the bike".  She had to bite the bullet and we went.
I have a heated Corbin passenger seat and the Corbin backrest and we have the Scala G9 Powerset on our helmets. She was comfy and didn't complain, but she never got on again.
Because of that, I keep threatening my wife by telling her "I'm selling the passenger seat and backrest and getting a Smuggler!" (I guess you can call that a threat). She just laughs me off.

FYI.  I love the site.  I'm mostly just lurking in the background and enjoy info the site provides.  Thank you all.

73's
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: lather on February 17, 2015, 05:19:06 PM
I gotta say am one lucky guy! None of my riding friends have wives or girlfriends who will ride and apparently that is the majority case here as well. I do two or three long weekend trips solo with the guys every year plus I plan one or two long trips (8-16 days) with the wife. She is fearless and an awesome passenger. Our big vacations have always been on the bike. I let her pick the general destination for a least one trip. I can always find some great twisties along the way to wherever she wants to go. We've been two-up to the Rockies, Sierra Nevadas, the Black Hills and the Bad Lands, Ozarks, Ouachitas, Smokies, Appalachians, Adirondacks, the Whites and the  Swiss and Austrians Alps. This summer we'll hit the Mediterranean Alps.

You guys gotta figure out how to convince your ladies they are missing out! :stirpot:
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: gPink on February 17, 2015, 05:30:12 PM
Maybe once upon a time that was true. Now not so much.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Jim M. on February 18, 2015, 06:49:29 AM
My wife has her own bike, so going 2 up is very rare.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: lather on February 18, 2015, 07:25:32 AM
My wife has her own bike, so going 2 up is very rare.
You're a lucky man lucky too.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: jonathan on February 18, 2015, 08:29:34 AM
My wife has her own bike, so going 2 up is very rare.

Me too
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: kwakrider on February 19, 2015, 12:17:12 AM
My wife has her own bike, so going 2 up is very rare.

+ 3
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: twowheeladdict on February 19, 2015, 05:39:41 AM
Solo on every bike but the Voyager.  My wife will ride on that bike which is the reason I have it.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: RIP50AK on February 19, 2015, 12:03:35 PM
Ride Solo 99+% of the time. Starting to take grand kids for rides at times. Don't ride with other bikes but have now scheduled a ride from Anchorage to Bellingham with brother-in-law to get both bikes to lower 48 for two week ride with my son.

Like riding and going on trips alone best.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Rhino on February 19, 2015, 01:05:23 PM
Ride Solo 99+% of the time. Starting to take grand kids for rides at times. Don't ride with other bikes but have now scheduled a ride from Anchorage to Bellingham with brother-in-law to get both bikes to lower 48 for two week ride with my son.

Like riding and going on trips alone best.

Sounds like an interesting ride. Take pictures and share!
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 19, 2015, 02:11:08 PM
Well, I have dabbled with taking my grandson with me on short trips but he has a tendency to fall asleep (he's 10).  I'm scared he might fall off...
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Rhino on February 19, 2015, 02:30:52 PM
Well, I have dabbled with taking my grandson with me on short trips but he has a tendency to fall asleep (he's 10).  I'm scared he might fall off...

Twist the throttle and make it more exciting  ;D
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 20, 2015, 04:05:56 AM
Good idea, except my grandson doesn't believe in keeping secrets from his mother.....yet.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Rhino on February 20, 2015, 06:54:33 AM
Good idea, except my grandson doesn't believe in keeping secrets from his mother.....yet.

I had the same problem with my granddaughter.  ;)
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: mikeeitup on February 20, 2015, 08:43:57 AM
I prefer to ride alone all the time BUT the chicks in our group refuse to get their own so I take the cutie out when they insist.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Deziner on February 20, 2015, 10:02:29 AM
I prefer to ride alone all the time BUT the chicks in our group refuse to get their own so I take the cutie out when they insist.

It's a tough job but someone has to do it
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: tomp on February 20, 2015, 01:59:29 PM
The last time I had a pillion, it was a lady my friend's wife invited on a ride with us.  I was on a Heritage, and we rode over 300 miles with one brief stop.  I had to peel her off the back and hold her up as her legs had stopped working.  I said "never again", and haven't had anyone but my son on the back, a few times. 

Most important to me is not being responsible for another's safety and well being, when I cannot control how they react to turns, breaking, accelerating, etc,  while on the back of my motorcycle... My ex was a good passenger, except for the bitching about weather conditions....
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: gPink on February 20, 2015, 02:58:34 PM
, except for the bitching about weather conditions....
....and helmet hair and needing to pee and you're going to fast and .....
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: tomp on February 20, 2015, 03:12:44 PM
....and helmet hair and needing to pee and you're going to fast and .....
  What, has she ridden with you too?????  Her new husband rides a Harley, and she hasn't ridden with him since 2007.  Hee, hee, hee.  He thought he was getting something special.  He should have asked me before taking her away....   
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: gPink on February 20, 2015, 03:47:33 PM
Some things are universal.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: JhVenezuela on February 20, 2015, 04:06:27 PM
Frequently  ride with my Parrot
His name is Oki  and love the bikes
 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: tomp on February 20, 2015, 04:26:16 PM
Frequently  ride with my Parrot
His name is Oki  and love the bikes
 ;D ;D ;D
And unlike my ex, your bird only repeats what you have taught it to say.  Shame we can't do the same with the women in our lives.. Looks like a great passenger, for sure. .  tp
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 20, 2015, 08:48:36 PM
Ah, so that's what your Parrot looks like.  ;D
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: tomp on February 20, 2015, 08:56:32 PM
http://www.sounddogs.com/sound-effects/25/mp3/226448_SOUNDDOGS__bi.mp3 (http://www.sounddogs.com/sound-effects/25/mp3/226448_SOUNDDOGS__bi.mp3)

Just for you, Jim....
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: XR6 on March 02, 2015, 01:49:51 AM
Ride 95% two up. My wife loves being on the back. We are on a 3 week trip around the Sth Island of New Zealand now. Have also shipped our bike over to the USA and gone from San Fran- Chicargo  - San Fran in 6 weeks 2 up, and loved every minute of it.  Very lucky to have such a keen riding partner.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: Rhino on March 02, 2015, 07:23:49 AM
Ride 95% two up. My wife loves being on the back. We are on a 3 week trip around the Sth Island of New Zealand now. Have also shipped our bike over to the USA and gone from San Fran- Chicargo  - San Fran in 6 weeks 2 up, and loved every minute of it.  Very lucky to have such a keen riding partner.

Wow! Now that sounds like a vacation! Would love to do the reverse, from US to NZ. But my wife would never go for it.
Title: Re: Riding solo
Post by: RIP50AK on March 09, 2015, 08:38:06 PM
Well, I have dabbled with taking my grandson with me on short trips but he has a tendency to fall asleep (he's 10).  I'm scared he might fall off...

I started the Grand Kids (all 5 of them) on 4 wheelers and then small dirt bikes. They are more than ready to ride with me by the time they are 12 or so. Moms aren't to agreeable before that age even though I started my daughters riding with me they were only 6 or maybe less but in front of me on my GL1000. Not to afraid of them falling off that way. Suppose I can't do that these days.